In Response to “A Distorted Reality” from The Public School Notebook

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The December edition of The Philadelphia Public School Notebook features a cover story titled, “A Distorted Reality.” It illustrates how a high school in Southwest Philadelphia saw their PSSA test scores decline from 70% proficiency in 2010 to 24% in 2011. The reason? Cheating had been taking place in the building, and shockingly we’ve now found out this behavior is citywide in both district and charter schools. The Notebook reported, “56 city schools (including 3 charters) were under investigation for possible cheating. 19 of those saw their proficiency rates drop by over 30 points.”

Jubilee is responding to this deeply troubling news. Now, more than ever, our Jubilee schools are needed for low-income urban students with hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Youth across Philadelphia are being cheated, literally.

In contrast, Jubilee’s 24 schools have an average proficiency rate of 75% on standardized tests, a number not tainted by dishonesty. Over 90% of our high school graduates enter college, and we’re seeing growing numbers of graduates make it through college and start careers.

Moronica Teng, a Logan Hope School graduate, reflected on her experience and her future as she enters her first year of high school. She writes:

“Logan Hope taught me to prepare myself for the future. They didn’t just teach math, but they also taught responsibility and honesty. Inside (Logan Hope) there are kids ready to learn, and teachers ready to prepare us for a future.”